Electrical burglar-alarm system.



Patented sept. 5,' |399.

No. 632,5l3. y

C. CULEMAN.

ELECTRICAL BURGLAR ALARM SYSTEM.

(Application tiled Oct. 22, 1897.)

{No Modem l 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

No. 632,513. i Patented Sept. 5,l i899.

c. coLEMAN. i ELECTRICAL BURGLR ALARM SYSTEM.

(Application led Oct. 22, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet '2,

(No Model.)

l jive-ri@ TH: Nomus mens cu.. Puouufuo., wnsuma'mu. u. c.

NITED STATi-sv PATENT OFFICE.

CLYDE COLEMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, B'Y MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, OF TW'O-THIRDS TO THE BANKERS ELECTRIC PROTECTIVE COM- PANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRICAL BURG LAR-ALARM SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 632,513, dated September 5, 1899.

Application filed October 22,1897.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, CLYDE COLEMAN, a citi- Zen-of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Burglar-Alarm Systems, of which the following is a specication.

The present invention relates in part to that class of burglar-alarm systems in Which the alarm devices are disposed in a housing which is electrically protected by means of an electrical barrier which may be constructed as shown and described in Letters Patent No. 570,906, dated November 10, 1895, or which may be of any other desired or suitable construction, so long as it will when in normal condition prevent access t0 the interior of the housing without causing an alarm to be given. This protected housing is provided with a door or other closure through which access may be had to its interior, and this door or closure controls -contacts so disposed that when the system is in normal condition and the door or closure is opened an alarm will be given'. Itis sometimes necessary to open this door of the protected housing in order to reach the alarm mechanism for cleaning it, repairing it, or for some other purpose, and heretofore in systems using a protected housing of this sort it has been necessary to throw off the entire system whenever the protected housing is to be entered.

One object of the present invention is to provide means whereby the alarm mechanism may be controlled and kept in normal condition by means of a current which takes a circuit that does not include the door-contacts of the protected housing, so that after this control of the alarm mechanism through this auxiliary circuit is established the door of the protected housing may be opened Without causing an alarm. Preferably I use for this purpose an auxiliary circuit which is a shunt pure and simple, but any other form of auxiliary circuit may be used. It is controlled from Without the protected housing (preferably from the guarded-structure end of the system) and when established Will provide a by-path around the door-contacts, as aforesaid. Pref- Serial No. 655,997. (No model.)

erably also the means for controlling it are 5o located within the guarded structure itself,

so that access cannot be had to it for the purpose of manipulating it excepting when the guarded structure is open. Preferably also I locate at the guarded structure an indicatorV so constructed and connected with the system that it will show Whether the auxiliary circuit is established or not and incidentally whether or not current is passing through the doorcontacts.

The invention consists in the features of novelty that are herein fully described With reference to the accompanying drawings, Which are made a part of this specification, and in Which-' Figure l is a diagrammatic representation of an electricalburglar-alarm system embodying some features of the invention. Fig. 2 is a detail viewshowing a switch of preferred form for use therein. Eig. 3 is a diagrammatic 7o representation of a portion of an electrical burglar-alarm system embodying some features of the invention and differing slightly from the system shown in Fig. l. Fig. 4. is a diagrammatic representation of an electrical burglar-alarm system embodying some features of the invention and differing slightly from the system shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3.

The line X may represent the guarded structure, Which term is herein intended to 8o Y comprehend any building or apartment in a building, a safe, a vault, a cabinet, or any other inclosure or district which it is desired to guard.

The line Y may represent what is herein termed the protected housing,7 being a case or housing Within which the alarm mechanism is disposed. This protected housing may be constructed as shown and described in the Letters Patent aforesaid. It is provided,as de- 9o scribed in said patent, with an electrical barrier which is diagram matically represented at A A. A may represent a sheet or lining of tin-foil or other metal which extends over the entire area of all of the Walls bf the housing, and A' may represent a second and similarlydisposed sheet or lining of tin-foil or other suitable metal, the tWo being insulated from each other, so that if penetrated by a metallic tool they will be electrically connected and an alarm will be thereby given, or A may represent a number of wires, either individual, braided, or woven, or strips of tin-foil disposed over the entire area of the several walls of the housing and having their adja,

cent portions insulated from each other and from the lining A. The housing is provided with a door, which is diagram matically represented at y, through which access may be had to its interior. This door controls contacts gj, which are normally included in the main circuit while the door is closed and which when the door is opened will open the main circuit. The protected housing thus constructed may be located at a police or other station or office distant from the guarded structure, or it may be located adjacent to or within the guarded structure itself, the requirements of the invention being answered if it be so located that the alarm when given will be heard by some one. The guarded structure also is provided with an electrical barrier, which may be of the construction described in the patent aforesaid or of any other desired construction. It is represented diagrammatically at B B' b b', the portions b b being disposed upon the door of the structure, (represented diagrammatically by the line 512,) while the portions B B are disposed over other parts of the structure. These barriers at the protected housing and guarded structure are electrically connected with or included in the main or controlling circuit C C C 0', in which is included also a resistance D, located at the guarded structure, and the coils of a responsive device E, located within the protected housing. At the guarded structure the main circuit has a loop or loops c c', which include the contacts 0c', that are 'controlled by the door, and this portion or these portions of the circuit which also include the portions h b of the barrier may be termed the door-circuit. The main circuit has also at the guarded structure a loop or loops' C2 C3, which shunt the door-circuit, and may be termed the door-shunt,7 so that when the door-circuit is open and thev door-shunt is closed the main circuit will be completed through the doorshunt. The loops C2 C3 are provided with terminals or contacts c2 cwhich are under the control of a device F for making and breaking the door-shunt at these points. The construction and operation of this device F need not be here fully described as they are fully described in Letters PatentNo. 627,054, whichA were granted to ine June 13,1899. The doorshunt includes the coils il of an indicator I, the construction and mode of operation of which are fully described in my aforesaid patent, No. 627,054. The alarm-circuit J has its own individual battery J', located within the protected housing Y, and includes as a part of it the needle e or some other movable part of the responsive device E, as described in my aforesaid patent, No. 627,054.

L is a testing-circuit extending between the guarded structure and the protected housing and including the battery J', a galvanometer or other indicator L4, located at the guarded structure, anda push-button or other device L5, located at the guarded structure, for closing the circuit, all as fully described inmy aforesaid patent, No. 627,054.7'

In burglar-alarm systems of. this character asheretofore constructed it is necessary to throw the system off of the responsive device when the door of the protected housing is to be opened, else an alarm will be given. A generic feature of the presentinvention consists in' providing means for throwing the system off of the door-contacts of theprotected housing and maintaining the normal condition of the responsive device whenl authorized entrance is to be had to the protected housing', and the preferred means for accomplishing this are shown in Figs. l and 2,

where M represents an open shunt (one form of auxiliary circuit) having its terminals connected with the conductorC of the main circuit, so as to shunt one set of the contacts 12' of the door of the guarded structure and one terminal of the door-shunt, and N is a similar shunt sh u nting the other set of said door-contacts ou', the contacts y', and the other terminal of the door-shunt, said shunts M and N being provided with switches m and n, respectively, whereby they may be closed when desired. Preferably atwo-pole switch, such IOO as shown in Fig. 2, is used for simultaneously` opening and closing these shunts. While these shunts are open, the system is in normal condition and operates as described in the aforesaid patent, No. 627,054. are closed, they will provide for the current which controls the alarm mechanism a path around the contacts cc and y', thus permitting the doors :2c and y to be opened without causing an alarm to be given. Itis preferable to provide a by-path around the contacts cc' of the door' of the guarded structure as well as around the door-contacts y' of the protected housing, because it'- is desirable to have the switches m 'n (or other means for cont-rolling these by-paths) disposed within the guarded structure, so that access cannot be had to them excepting when the guarded structure is open. This is not necessary,how ever, and an arrangement in which contacts y only are shunted or cut out of the main or controlling circuit is within the scope of my invention. The arrangement shown in Fig. 4 may be used. Here M is a shunt, which is connected with the main circuit upon opposite sides of the contact y' and which is normally open, a switch m' being provided for closing it when desired. In the arrangement shown in Fig. l the shunt N extends from the guarded structure to the protected housing, while as shown in Fig. 3 itis entirely within the guarded structure. (This figure shows the lower half of the system shown in Fig. l.)

IIO

Having thus described my invention, the Vfollowing is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. In an electrical burglar-alarm system, the combination with the alarm mechanism, a housing in which it is disposed, said hous ing having a door or similar closure, and a main or controlling circuit for controlling the alarm mechanism, said circuit having contacts which are controlled by the door of the housing, of means adapted to be operated from without the housing for establishing the main or controlling circuit through a path which excludes the dooicontacts, substantially as setforth.

2. In an electrical burglar-alarm system,`

the combination with the alarm mechanism, a housing in which it is disposed, having a door or other closure, a main or controlling circuit extending between the housing and the guarded structure, said circuit having contacts controlled by the door of the housing, an auxiliary circuit excluding the contacts of the door aforesaid, means adapted to be operated from without the housing for establishing the controlling-circuit through the auxiliary circuit and means maintaining the normal condition of the alarm mechanism through said auxiliary circuit, substantially as set forth.

3. In an electrical burglar-alarm system, the combination with a main or controlling circuit extending between the guarded structure and the alarm-station, protective devices disposed at the guarded structure, alarm mechanism disposed at the alarm-station, a housing inclosing the alarm mechanism, said housing having a door or other closure, contacts included in the main or controlling circuit and controlled by the door of the housing, a shunt excluding the door-contacts, and means adapted to be operated from the guarded-structure end of the system for establishing the main circuit through said shunt, substantially as set forth.

a. In an electrical burglanalarm system, the combination With the alarm mechanism and a responsive device by which it is controlled, of a housing inclosing said alarm mechanism and responsive device and having a door or other closure, a main or controlling circuit extending between the guarded structure and the housing aforesaid, contacts included in said circuit and controlled by the door aforesaid, a shunt excluding said contacts, and means for establishing the main or controlling circuit through said shunt and for maintaining the responsive device in normal condition when said contacts are open, substantially as set forth.

In an electrical burglar-alarm system, the combination with a guarded structure having a door or other closure and a housing having a door or other closure, of alarm mechanism disposed Within the housing, a main or controlling circuit extending between the guarded structure and housing and including contacts which are controlled by the door or other closure of the guarded structure and contacts which are controlled by the door or other closure of the housing, an auxiliary circuit excluding all ot said contacts, and means adapted to be operated from the guarded-structure end of the system for controlling the alarm mechanism through said auxiliary circuit, substantially as set forth.

G. In an electrical burglar-alarm system, the combination with a guarded structure having a door or other closure and a housing having a door or other closure, of alarm mechanism disposed within the housing, a responsive device disposed Within the housing for controlling said alarm mechanism, a main or controlling circuit extending between the guarded structure and housing and including contacts controlled by the door or other closure of the guarded structure and contacts controlled by the door orvother closure of the housing, a resistance included inthe main or controlling circuit, the shunt M having the switch m and the shunt N having the switch n, said shunts being so disposed that when closed all of the door-contacts will be shunted,

p substantially as set forth.

7. In an electrical burglar-alarm system, the combination with a main or controlling circuit extending from the guarded structure to the alarm-station, alarm mechanism disposed at the alarm-station, a housing inclosing the alarm mechanism and having a door, contacts included in the main or controlling circuit and controlled by said door, an auxiliary circuit excluding said contacts, means located at the guarded-structure end of the system for controlling said auxiliary circuit, and an indicator located at the guarded structure for showing the condition ot the auxiliary circuit, substantially as set forth.

CLYDE COLEMAN.

Witnesses:

L. M. HOPKINS, I. Caoss. 

